Healthy Eating

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Eat none!              Eat a bit.             Eat more!

white bread                         high calorie fruit                 berries

cereal                                    skim milk                                sweet potatoes

flavored, whole yogurt     skim yogurt                          kale, spinach

pasta                                      wine                                       avocado

corn                                       tortillas                                  guava

rice                                        peas                                        spinach

sweets                                   ice cream novelties            asparagus

crackers                                spaghetti sauce                   tomato

ketchup                                bananas & apples               sweet pepper

barbecue sauce                                                                   orange
ice cream scoops                                                                pomegranate

chips                                                                                       fish

sweet coffees                                                                      olive oil

dried fruit                                                                              beans

pancakes & syrup                                                               flax seeds

french fries                                                                          almonds & walnuts

pretzels                                                                                 brown rice

corn syrup                                                                            dark chocolate

ice cream scoops                                                                olives

                                                                                                pearl barley 

                                                                                                barley noodles

                                                                                                green tea

oats, oatmeal

                                                                                                turmeric, cinnamon

                                                                                                bulgur wheat

                                                                                                toasted oat cereal
                                                                                                red grapes
                                                                                                carrot
                                                                                                red cabbage
                                                                                                melon
                                                                                                grapefruit
                                                                                                canola oil
                                                                                                peanut oil
                                                                                                papaya
                                                                                                mango

                                                                                                           

                       

                                                            

a crowd-pleaser summer salad that lasts a week

1. Microwave 2 ears of corn for 10 minutes.  Shuck and cut kernels off.
2. Drain and chop roasted red peppers (1 jar).
3. Drain and rinse 1 can each: black, kidney, and pinto beans.
4. Dice 1 medium red onion.
5. Finely dice 1 peeled carrot.
6. Chop 1 avocado and sprinkle the juice of 1 lime over the pieces to keep it from browning.
7. Chop 1/4 cup of cilantro.  (Don't substitute parsley.)
8. Dice 2 ripe tomatoes.

Mix all together in a large bowl.  If you want, drizzle with olive oil and mix anew.

It looks a bit like this...

Stuffed Banana Peppers

I bought the banana peppers and the sausage from my local CSA.  I think the key to this very simple recipe is not to stress if the banana pepper breaks apart. You can always layer, instead of stuff, these ingredients.  From the bottom...banana peppers topped with sausage mix topped with tomato mix topped with cheese.   Simple

Stuffed banana peppers

• 5-6 banana peppers
• 1 lb. pork sausage (mild or hot)
• 1 chopped onion (white, yellow, or Vidalia)
• 1 chopped bell pepper (green, red, or yellow)
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (Use 1 or 2 more if you love garlic)
• 1 - 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbl. fresh or 2 tsp. dried basil and oregano
• 1 tbs. olive oil & cooking spray
• shredded mozzarella cheese for top

1. Soften banana peppers in boiling water from 5-7 minutes, depending on their size. Remove and set aside
   on paper towels.  
2. Brown the sausage with ½ chopped onion, chopped pepper, 1 minced garlic clove, and ½ of the spices
   together. When the sausage is fully cooked and the peppers have softened, remove and set aside.
3. Keeping the pan hot, spray and add the olive oil. Heat the tomatoes with the remaining onion, garlic, and
   herbs. Taste and add more herbs if you like. Boil, reduce to simmer immediately, and cook 10-15 minutes.
4. Cut the cooled banana peppers lengthwise and remove the tops and seeds. Open side up, line a casserole
   dish.
5. Stuff the opened peppers with the sausage mixture. Pour sauce over the middle of all the stuffed peppers.
   Top with the cheese. Bake at 350F until bubbly.

You'll never grill steaks outside again

The key to “grilling” steaks indoors is the cast iron skillet.  You can use a flat one or a ribbed one.    The ribbed ones are good for giving the steaks get “grill” marks, but the flat one allows the steaks to cook in juices.  Let’s start with those juices.

30 minutes before you preheat the oven, season the steaks on both sides.  I use a steak seasoning from Aldis.  Nothing extravagant, just lots of salt, pepper, and garlic.

30 minutes later, preheat the oven to 350 F. 

On the stove, get the cast iron skillet medium-high hot.  Once hot, spray with something like Pam.  Just before you put the steaks in the pan, add something flavorful—butter, olive oil, or bacon grease.  If I have grease, I use it. 

Then put the steaks on the hot, oiled pan without touching each other.  Check at 5 minutes.  If they’re getting crusty, flip and cook for 5 minutes on the other side.  But if not crusty, cook another minute or two.  

Bottom line…when both sides are crusty, you’re finished grilling on the stove.  

Put the steaks in an oven-proof dish with foil securely wrapped on top. 

Turn off the oven. Put the steaks in the oven.  Leave there for 10 minutes or more.  I really don’t fuss about it. 

The cast iron pan should still be hot.  Add some full-bodied red wine, like port or pinot noir, to the steaks’ juices.  (Truthfully, I unload something from the pantry that’s been stored for a while.)  Stirr, stir, stir, allowing the juices and wine to reduce by about half.  Melt in 2-4 tablespoons of butter. Keep stirring until you have the right consistency. 

Five minutes before you’re serving, remove the dish from the oven and let rest on plate or cutting board.  They should look something like this… 

Serve with the juices/wine concoction and, of course, mashed potatoes.

Susan's Casual Summer Dinner Party

Susan's Casual Summer Dinner Party

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I like to throw a fun party. I enjoy the planning  process.  Thinking of a theme, planning the menu, decorating my house, etc., is really fun for me.  These days with two small kids, it's harder for me to put as much effort as I'd like into planning parties and gatherings with friends.  But, I still do my best to make it a nice event, try to enjoy the process and love the social aspect of the party the most (especially the wine drinking!).  

Last weekend, Andy and I hosted three couples, two of whom didn't know each other. These are my favorite dinners...I love the opportunity to introduce people and get to know others better.

The key to planning a nice party, especially when you have limited time, is to plan in advance and save only the necessary things for the last minute. I put just as much emphasis into the decorating and table setting as I do the food. Delegating is also key. If someone wants to bring something, let them! We also assume that nothing is going to be perfect and try to enjoy our guests.  Below is the menu from our dinner party last weekend. I wanted a "summery" and casually- sophisticated menu.  It's not particularly special but was enjoyed by all.

Game Plan

Friday night:

·         Buy flowers and groceries.

·         Make dessert and put in the fridge to chill.

Saturday morning:

·         Set the table.

·         Make the meat marinade and marinate the meat.

·         Cut the goat cheese log, marinated it in oil with rosemary.

·         Cut up the mint and put it in the lemonade and vodka for the      signature drink.

·         Cut the veggies.

Saturday afternoon and evening:

·         Make the salad (reserve the dressing).

·         Rotate the meat (every two hours).

·         Set up the drinks and appetizers

·         Start the grill.

·         Begin to sauté the veggies and boil the potatoes.

·         Bake the breadcrumbs.  Dredge the goat cheese in baked crumbs and return to oven.

·         Cook steaks; then let them rest.

·         Warm bread in oven.

Menu

Appetizers: Fresh bruschetta with goat cheese spread (brought by a friend)

Cocktail: Mint-Vodka Lemonade http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/drink/views/Minted-Vodka-Lemonade-200581

Salad:  Arugula, fresh peaches, toasted walnuts, basil, and baked goat cheese (dredged in breadcrumbs) http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/08/warm-baked-goat-cheese/

Gruyere and sour dough bread warmed (from Trader Joes)

Marinated flank steak: The key with the steak is the marinate it all day.                                           http://cowgirls-kitchen.blogspot.com/2008/01/balsamic-marinated-flank-steak.html

Sautéed mixed veggies of mushrooms, red onions and asparagus (butter, olive oil, salt and pepper, white wine)

Salt potatoes (red potatoes boiled in salt water, butter and chives added optionally)

Desert: Raspberry shortcake served with whipped cream and fresh berries http://www.marthastewart.com/907444/raspberry-shortcakes

crepe quiche simplified

I made Alton Brown's Crepe Quiche Lorraine recipe from his “Crepe Expectations” episode. It's a great concept but could have been explained so much more simply. It's basically a quiche made in a muffin cup with the crepe as the liner instead of a pastry crust, sauteed bacon with onions on top, and filled with egg mixture with spinach or cooked veggie.  (Next time, I'll take photos per stage of assembly and you'll see how basic this is.)

 

You're looking at 4 crepes and (right background) more crepes!

Ingredients:
eggs, milk, & salt for crepes
cheese, onions, bacon, & spinach for the bottom of the quiche
eggs & milk for the filler

1. Make a batch of crepes from any standard recipe. Be sure that they're very thin or they'll be too chewy. You're trying to create a thin lining for the egg mixture to set up in.
2. Saute thinly sliced onions and diced bacon. Don't skimp on these.  It's the Lorraine part.
3. Mix eggs and milk as if you're making scrambled eggs. 
4. Spray large muffin tins. Line each with a crepe. Spoon in bacon/onion mix. Add some flavorful cheese like Gruyere, Stilton, or bleu—shredded or chunked—and baby spinach (or cooked veggie). Fill with egg mix. You can sprinkle with cheese or dots of butter if you wish.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes—until the egg sets up.  

Creamy turkey, rice, and vegetable soup

I made another turkey breast dinner for the DC fam last night. This morning, with Baby Teddy in the bouncer, I'm concocting my version of creamy turkey and rice soup adapted from CooksRecipes.Com's Williasburg Turkey Soup.  

This is a healthier version (as the original recipes calls for 1 cup of butter).  It freezes great. Enjoy!      Yield: 4 1/2 quarts  

3 TBLS olive oil 

3 onions, diced

3 large carrots, diced

3 ribs celery, diced 

3 TBLS all-purpose flour

3 quarts turkey or chicken broth (homemade is best if fat skimmed)

1 cup long-grain rice (or any other kind, actually)

3/4 teaspoon pepper

2-3 cups leftover cooked turkey

2 cups half-and-half (fat-free, regular, mixture with cream)

1. Heat oil in large Dutch oven. Stir onion, carrot and celery into roux. Cook over medium heat 20-30 minutes, stirring often.  Be sure to thoroughly cook the veggies.
2. Sprinkle flour across top and incorporate. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add broth,  rice,  and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender. (Don't add more rice.  It absorbs a lot of the liquid.)  Add turkey.
4. Add half-and-half (or part 1/2 and 1/2 plus cream). Cook until thoroughly heated.
   Salt at the table.
   If you want to cut calories, omit the 1/2 and 1/2 and "creamy" from the name!  
   The best of both worlds is to remove 1-2 cups of the soup and cream with an immersion blender or in a food processor before  you add the turkey. Then, return the creamed portion to the pot and add the turkey. Omit the 1/2 and 1/2 at the end.  You can keep "creamy" in the name!